Clasps of the Crusade Medal, Formerly known as "Rod"

Here is the medal with swords (from eBay).
I haven't see this one before.

Gen. Dénes

Hallo Gen Denes

adding swords to a military ribbon is the easiest thing in the world to do, in this case they are totaly unofficial otherwise we would heve encountered hundreds of them before now.

My basic guide is: If there is no paperwork to cover the issue of the insignia, i.e. Brevet, or any photographic evidence from WW2 (or what ever conflict) showing such an item in wear, then it must be viewed as a "Fantasy" until such proof comes to light.

Otherwise we would be up to our ears in "Fantasy" pieces.

Kevin in Deva.

I don't know about that. I have seen this piece several times from Germany. It is always on a small thinner ribbon with swords applied. Smaller thinner ribbons were used by the Germans and the crossed swords appear to be German as well. Your research should start with the German Army units.

This Romanian award as worn by the germans, if it had swords added they would be totally unofficial and against regulations. Finding thiner German ribbon is no proof the swords were attached officialy.

German military regulations with regards to the wearing of Foreign awards was structly followed, anything unotherised would immediately attract the attention of the "Kettenhunde" German Military Police and if the item was not written up in the soldier SOLDBUCH then he was in serious troube, (a cases is known where a German soldier was nearly shot, for wearing a decoration, it was thought he was not entitled too )

You might as well claim the Italian Un-official Africa medal (Presented only to German Afrika-Korps personel and never to Italians troops, and tolarated by the German High Command, until the Italians deserted to the Allied side) has been seen with swords as well.

By documentry proof I mean Ww2 pictures, I have read many books on WW2 and never seen this Romanian medal with swords applied, if you have any such pictures please post them for study.

I also lived in Germany for 5 years and never came across such a Romanian medal with swords, many of the medals but no German swords attached. And the picture posted on this site is the first I have seen of it, which is strange since I have been collecting medals since I retired in 1997 and reading military books for the last 38 years. If there were many of these medals with swords then statistics state I should have come across one before now.

Kevin in Deva.

Like I said earlier... all of these medals I have seen for sale with the thinner ribbons and swords applied to them came out of the German medals market. Further research is needed.

Below is a so-called Death Card of a German soldier, with the following (rare) note:
Träger der Rumänischen Medaille "Kreuzzug gegen den Kommunismus" und der versilberten Spange "Bessarabien".


[From eBay]

Gen. Dénes

Here is a numbered Crusade medal - the first one I see. Is it original?


[From eBay]

Gen. Dénes

The numbering appears to be hand-written. If the medal was meant to be numbered I would have expected to be done with a stamping method.

ANOTHER FANTASY INSIGNIA ON A "CRUSADE AGAINST COMMUNISUM" 1941 MEDAL.

This was recently posted on Ebay Germany:

http://cgi.ebay.de/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewIt...ME:B:WNA:DE:122

and the description:

Orden Kampf gegen den Kommunismus, 2.WK mit Schwerter

Orden Kampf gegen den Kommunismus, 2.WK mit zusätzlicher goldener Schwerterauflage auf dem Band

With Goldern Swords on the ribbon!!!!* *

verliehen unter anderem an Angehörige der deutschen Wehrmacht die im Rahmen der Kampfhandlungen mit den rumänischen Verbündeten während des 2. Weltkrieges gekämpft hatten. Gestiftet am 1.4.1942 von König Michael I. von Rumänien.

Dieser Orden wurde besonderen Offizieren der rumänischen Eisernen Garde verliehen, damals gab es eine Elitetruppe von Legionären die sich mit Deutschland verbunden hatten. Der Orden wurde auch wie bereits erwähnt an deutsche Soldaten verliehen. / This Order was worn by an Officer of the Romanian IRON GUARD, he was a member of an ELITE TROOP of the IRON GUARD who joined with the German Army, the Order was also given to German soldiers.

Auf der Vorderseite des Ordens ist das Kopfbild von P. Grant, einem Minister des damaligen Königs von Rumänien und folgende Worte:

On the frontside of the Medal is the head of P.GRANT, a Minister of the King of Romania, and the following words are written:

ROMANIA RECUNOSCATOARE

Auf der Rückseite ist eine Hand die ein Schwert hält, die Jahreszahl 1941 und folgende Worte:

IMPOTRIVA COMMUSNISMULUI CRUCIADA

Sehr guter Zustand mit schöner Alterspatina

Some idiot has bid 20 Euro 49 Euro cents





* * = The swords are of a German design, and have no connection whatsoever to this award.

Kevin in Deva

This post has been edited by New Connaught Ranger on July 02, 2006 03:24 pm

THis is the envelpoe of the medal,
Is this envelope variation?


MIhai

This post has been edited by mihai on July 22, 2006 05:24 am

Up for Auction on Ebay UK,

3 Bars but how are they are supposed to fasten to the ribbon??

I think they are REPRO, take a look at:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...em=140009981828



and I post a picture here for reference.

Kevin in Deva

The bottom one is spelled erroneously 'MARE NEGRU'. That could be hint of a foreign-made fake.

I believe these metal clasps were attached to the ribbon by folding the two side flaps 180 deg. backwards, over the ribbon's back surface.

Gen. Dénes

Here is another image of a 'MARE NEGRU' clasp (from the first page of this thread).



It could very well be that these clasps are fakes, but could it also be possible that they were made in Germany where they were misspelled? There are other variations: 'CALMUCIA'-'KALMUCEA', 'CRIMEEA'-'CRIMEIA', 'NISTRU'-'DNJESTR', 'ODESA'-'ODESSA'. If the misspelling is a sign that the clasp is a fake, which of the above spellings are real and which are fakes?

All these names you listed are foreign ones, so the spelling variations are not uncommon.

However, I can hardly believe any Rumanian manufacturer would spell 'Marea Neagra' as 'Mare Negru'

Gen. Dénes

All these names you listed are foreign ones, so the spelling variations are not uncommon.

However, I can hardly believe any Rumanian manufacturer would spell 'Marea Neagra' as 'Mare Negru'

I wouldn't call 'NISTRU' a foreign name, would I?

Anyhow, the idea was not that a Romanian manufacturer misspelled the names, but that a German one did.